The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
by Jariah
Summary: An indepth novelization of The Wind Waker. A thousand years after the fall of Hyrule, a new hero must learn to stand up against his adverseries in the darkest of times. Prologue up.


Here is my disclaimer, to last through the entire fic. I own nothing.

Ok, I own a pair of contact lenses and some donuts I bought during my break at work yesterday. That's it. These characters, this game, the whole story, none of it is mine. It all belongs to Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo. I am simply retelling the story of the Wind Waker, adding a few realistictouches here and there. I am just a bored city girl playing with borrowed time and a dirty keyboard.

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**Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Prologue**

_Seven years earlier_

The sun had long sunk beyond the horizon, letting the sky wither into darkness marred only by the presence of the effervescent moon, deep in the bowels of the heavens. Gentle stars peeked out, one by one, coming out from underneath the veil of the prelude of night, to be seen by everyone all over each corner of the Great Sea.

In particular, to be seen by one family, huddled underneath a blanket and entangled in the night sky, listening to the waves crash into the rocks below where they sat. The oldest of the three, a widow whose face reflected her life, scarred by tragedy but still smiling, had turned away her real name years ago to be simply known as Grandmother to not only the children she took care of, but everyone on the island. The middle in age, a young boy just turned ten, happily entwined between his grandmother and younger sister, had an expression that reflected determination as easily as the night, eyes gazing over the sea with a wonder and a craving for a fulfillment not yet achieved. His name was Link. The youngest of the trio was a little girl not even six years in age, her large blue eyes and wide smile an appropriate prelude to her excitable nature, especially the adoring gaze she often fixed upon her older brother. Her name was Aryll.

Ever since Aryll's birth and the death of Grandmother's daughter, Talimeka, the aged lady had watched over the siblings, for they were without a father due to a treacherous storm just eight weeks before the young girl was born, and without any other family. In the time of crisis, however, all the villagers of Outset banded together to create a communal family for the orphaned children, one that had served well. Link and Aryll were everybody's children.

"Grandmother," a muffled voice came from underneath the blanket, "tell us a story."

The old lady chuckled, "all right. Which story would you like to hear?"

"The one about the Hero of time!" Link exclaimed animatedly.

"Are you sure? It doesn't have a happy ending," Grandmother forewarned, in hopes that the children might want to hear a story that ended with 'happily ever after'.

"Hero of time! Hero of time!" Aryll declared, siding with her big brother even though she would've preferred the story about the princess and the pirate ship. It was about loyalty, and five year old Aryll wanted to show Link she was loyal to him.

"All right then," she chuckled, drawing both children in closer to her. "Long ago, there existed a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden. It was a prosperous land blessed with green forests, tall mountains, and peace. It was named Hyrule, and it was the most beautiful land anyone could want to live at, with the most beautiful princess. Her name was…"

"Aryll?" The little girl happily broke in.

"Yes, Princess Aryll. But one day, a man of great evil found the golden power and took it for himself. With its strength at his command, he spread darkness across the kingdom. He destroyed the castle town and created his evil fortress. For seven years, he kept all of Hyrule in a state of terror, never knowing which town might be burned or destroyed next. Still, the people prayed to the Goddesses, in hopes a hero might rise again to take back what they had lost.

"But then, when all hope had died, and the hour of doom seemed at hand... a young boy clothed in green appeared as if from nowhere. Wielding the blade of evil's bane, he called forth the seven sages and they banded together, to seal the dark one away and gave the land light."

"Did they succeed?"

Grandmother smiled warmly, "you've heard this story before. You know how it ends. Anyways, the boy, who traveled through time to save the land, was known as the Hero of Time. The boy's tale was passed down through generations until it became legend. But then... a day came when a fell wind began to blow across the kingdom. The great evil that all thought had been forever sealed by the sages, once again crept forth from the depths of the earth eager to resume its dark designs. The people believed that the Hero of Time would again come to save them. But the hero did not appear."

"Why not?"

"I don't know." Grandmother poked Aryll in the ribs gently, "now, would your highness like me to finish the story or not?"

Aryll tilted her chin up proudly, mimicking zipping her lips with her thumb and pointer finger.

"Thank you. Faced by an onslaught of evil, the people could do nothing but appeal to the gods. In their last hours, as doom drew nigh, they left their future in the hands of fate. None remain who knew of the fated Hyrule. The memory of the kingdom vanished, but its legend survived on the wind's breath. Now, on the island of Outset, it is a custom to clothe boys in the costume of the Hero when they reach the age of seventeen, so that they might aspire to be like the hero. But, our time is a time of peace. There is no use for fighting anymore."

"But, what if war breaks out?"

"Then we'll deal with it when it arises." Grandmother yawned widely, "now, it's late. Come on children, it's time for bed."

As Link and Aryll made their way inside the house, Grandmother lagged back to take one last look at the sea. The story was the same, time and time again. The Hero had been a victim of circumstance the first time, but when the need had arised once more, he had not been there for his land. But… maybe it was just a story. Maybe there was no hero.

Maybe there never had been.

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